The second part of my conversation with Hannah Sofaer and Paul Crabtree from the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust. On this show I conclude my conversation with Hannah Sofaer, PQST creative director, and Paul Crabtree, the trusts secretary. We talk about some of the fantastic exhibitions that went on over 2012.
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I was intrigued in my conversations with some of the artists who exhibited at the Drill Hall that they have had a long connection with PQST.
Stone Island Stone is Land
The program brought together art from many different disciplines and was part of Inspire mark London 2012. Paul & Hannah assisted in all these activities. Giving a lot of practical assistance. This program of events included;
- Stone carving workshops
- Community events
- Masami Aihara / Takahiro Ishii – YoukoboARTSPACE, from Tokyo. Artist Residency – with Exhibition
- Tibetan Monks Sand Mandala / Workshop
- Dunhill & O’Brien, Residency & Stone Appreciation 2 exhibition
- ‘Deep Time in Rock’ Seacourt Print Workshops, a group from Ireland
- ‘Fleeting Lines’ Photography exhibition by Rikki Sorbi
- ‘Sounding stone’ Community Music Event by Annie & Belle
- ‘Riparian’ – photography exhibition by Jim Cooke
- See http://learningstone.org/?page_id=195 for more information on this program.
We talk about the exhibitions they held, how they came about and their involvement in staging these exhibitions and putting this program together.
Bowder stone. Still by Dunhill & O’Brien. Featured in their Stone Appreciation 2 exhibition.
Mark Dunhill has had a connection with the trust since its very early days having exhibited in Tout Quarry. You will be able to hear Marc talk in next week’s episode of Creative Conversation.
Hannah talks about their connection to the land, about their connection with artists, scientists, geologists and quarryman. Looking at the science as well as the arts.
The Drill Hall sits within half-mile radius of 11 contrasting quarries environments. You can see a quarry at different stages of its development, some being crushed, some being quarried, some reverting to nature, some being SSSI status.
The Tibetan Monks came and created a piece and ran workshops. While in the evening did a 2hr performance. The sound within the building really resonated throughout the building. Their final piece was to transport the crushed stone back to the sea with a ceremonial walk before releasing the sand into the sea.
We go onto to talk about the next stage of the trust. Where Hannah feels it is all coming together at the right time at the right place. The future is education, training, partnerships, manifestation of artists and scientists’ work. Looking at where we can reuse of stone waste, architects addressing the built environment and how they can bring nature into the building. How materials can continue to live beyond what it is.
Photo from Riparian photography exhibition by Jim Cooke.
We then talk about photography exhibition by Jim Cooke. Jim is another person the trust has had a long-term connection with. This show Riparian has came about from Jim in-depth research and personal interest in rivers and riverbanks. Jim teaches at Brighton University and you can hear him talk about this body of work in a later Creative Conversation episode. Jim has brought students down to Portland from Brighton University for many years now and has found the visit for his students to be of greater value than a visit to a place like Prague.
One last thing we touch on is the quarryman. Hannah talks about the rewarding aspect she has found in her connection with these local people who have worked the landscape.
To find out more about Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust; www.learningstone.org
The Drill Hall, Easton Lane, Portland, Dorset, DT5 1BW
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